KSCF

Infobox Radio Station
name = KSCF


city = San Diego, California
area = San Diego, California
branding = "Sophie @ 103.7"
slogan = "Now. New. Next."
airdate = October 2005 (as KSCF)
frequency = 103.7 (MHz) HD Radio
format = Commercial; Modern AC
erp = 26,500 watts
haat = 177 meters
class = B
former_callsigns = KOZN, KJQY, KMKX, KPLN
facility_id = 59816
sister_stations = KYXY
owner = CBS Radio
webcast = [http://player.play.it/player/player.html?id=107&onestat=kcsf2 Listen Live]
website = [http://www.radiosophie.com/ www.radiosophie.com]
callsign_meaning = K Southern California's Free FM (refers to previous Talk radio format)

KSCF, also known as Sophie @ 103.7, is a San Diego Modern AC radio station, owned and operated by CBS Radio. "Now. New. Next" is the tagline of this San Diego radio station. The station broadcasts in HD Radio. The HD2 multicast is "The House of Sophie," which airs electronica music.

History

In the late 1970s, 103.7 was KOZN-FM, playing a beautiful music format. On May 20, 1979, the call letters were changed to KJQY and the station was known as "K-Joy". The station evolved into an adult contemporary format, then in 1995 it became "Rock Mix 103.7" KMKX, playing classic rock music. On July 5, 1996 the call letters changed to KPLN and the station was known as "The Planet", still with a classic rock format. At that time, it was the radio home of Cindy Pace, Jim McInnes, who now does the weekday 5pm to midnight news on AM 760 KFMB and is a traffic reporter on 100.7 Jack FM, Tony Martin, nighttime DJ on Sophie, and Mike Dawson, is now a producer/announcer for The Adam Carolla Show, featured on former sister station KLSX in Los Angeles in the mornings.

On October 25, 2005, the station changed formats from classic rock to an FM talk format with the brand "Free FM", and their call letters changed on October 28 from KPLN to KSCF. In December 2005, Howard Stern left the terrestrial airwaves and moved to Sirius Satellite Radio. At the beginning, Adam Carolla was their morning show host. He started January 3, 2006, replacing Stern.

On March 1, 2006, The Phil Hendrie Show was replaced by the Dick and Skibba Show, a local show formerly from 97.1 Free FM. The show aired in the 7pm-10pm time slot, then the only live and local talk show in San Diego in the evening. As a result, this pushed Phil Hendrie to a later 10pm-1am time slot. Dick and Skibba were fired on Valentine's Day 2007, according to program director Jim Daniels, the show was too for San Diego.

On March 5, 2007, the Generation Y University show replaced the Dick and Skibba show. The show was hosted by three 23 year old men who were all Mt. Carmel High School alumni who grew up in Rancho Peñasquitos. The show had previously aired on Sunday afternoons from 5pm-7pm. The show was cancelled on April 25, 2007.

That show was replaced by Generic Radio, an intelligent, witty four hours of ridiculous debauchery presided over by two guys from New York City.

On June 22, 2007 at 3PM (PDT) KSCF flipped to Oldies as "K-Surf 103.7." The first song played was "Surfin' USA" by The Beach Boys. They were supposed to be the market's first FM Oldies outlet since 2005, when XHOCL had the format prior to its flip to Regional Mexican. The last song played in the short-lived oldies format was "Bobby's Girl" by Marcie Blane. Following "Bobby's Girl" at 5PM (PDT), the Oldies format turned out to be a stunt as the station revealed its true format, a Modern AC as Sophie @ 103.7. Its first song under this format was Jack Johnson's "Upside Down" as the first tune, followed by Fall Out Boy's "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs."

Demise of the "Free FM" format

At first, CBS Radio had high hopes for KSCF with extensive marketing aimed at attracting the adult male demos, but ever since they switched formats from KPLN to Free FM, the station's ratings started to drop. In fall 2005, (when 103.7 became Free FM), ratings were 2.2, mainly due to Howard Stern being the morning show host. In the beginning of 2006, 103.7's ratings dropped in half to a rating of 1.1, due to a much less popular Adam Carolla morning show. The ratings would later slip in Summer 2006 to a rating of 1.0, and remained at 1.0 in the Fall 2006. [http://www.radioandrecords.com/RRRatings/DetailsPage.aspx?MID=227&RY=2007&RQ=1&MP=2&OTHER=2&MN=San%20Diego&MS=CA&MR=17&12P=2497000&UP=4/4/2007%2012:00:00%20AM&SU=CM&BPER=5.6&HPER=27.1&OPER=&NSD=5/1/2007%2012:00:00%20AM&CE=0]

In the end, the attempt to make Free FM a success in San Diego had proven to be too difficult and like other Free FM stations in New York City (WFNY) and San Francisco (KIFR), which returned to Active rock and Classic Hits respectively, KSCF decided to switch formats in June 2007. To add to the demise of the Free FM family of stations, Its sister station in Phoenix (KZON) flipped to Rhythmic Contemporary at the same exact time as KSCF's format switch. As of October 27, 2007, the only Free FM station that makes any reference to "Free FM" is Los Angeles' 97.1 Free FM, a sister station of the former 103.7 Free FM.

=DJs=

* [http://www.myspace.com/endjennifer Jennifer White] - weekdays 5am-9am
* [http://www.myspace.com/safestewart JT] - weekdays 9am-2pm
*Jennifer Markham - weekdays 2pm-7pm
* [http://www.myspace.com/djtony Tony] - weeknights 7pm-12am
*Tom Mitchell (formerly with KYSR Star 98.7 Los Angeles)- Saturdays 2pm to 7pm
*Summer James (also formerly with KYSR Star 98.7 Los Angeles)- Sundays 2pm to 7pm
*Howie (formerly with KSCF when it was FREE-FM) - Saturdays and Sundays 7pm to midnight

External links

* [http://www.radiosophie.com/ Sophie @ 103.7]
* [http://www.myspace.com/radiosophiesd Sophie @ 103.7] on MySpace
* [http://www.sdradio.net/ San Diego Radio News site]
* [http://www.1037freefm.com/ Former Free FM website]
* [http://www.yes.com/#KSCF/ Radio Sophie Playlist]

*FMQ|KSCF
*FML|KSCF
*FMARB|KSCF